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175cc Sport/Special |
250cc GS |
While cyclists in Europe and the rest of the world were still being offered 175cc Parillas, the USA market was asking for more power. The factory decided to redesign their high-cam motor to handle an upgrade to 250cc. These new motors were placed into company's new angular frame design. On the track, some people reported that the new, slightly shorter frame had handling problems. Some racers put the new motor in older, more stable frames. The motor used the X-1 cam, short ratio gear box (4 or 5 speed), alloy barrel and/or a gear drive. There is some debate if the 250GS is really a factory production race bike or just a fancy sport version of the Tourist or Trailmaster, since the frames are the same. The 175 Sport had no rear-sets and a bigger seat for two people. Serial numbers for Sport models are usually in the 410-xxx range, while 250GS bikes used 260-xxx numbers.
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250cc Wildcat frame racer: A Parilla collector in Italy had a bike with an unusual frame. It was roughly the same as the Wildcat frame, but had extra supports and brackets added. It looked like an owner modified GS, but it was later identified as a factory bike by a discovery of a picture in a 1964 Cycle magazine. See more on the frames page. |
175/250GS frames: There was no real change between the GS/Sport frames and the Trailmaster/Tourist. To see the differences between the 125/175/250 & Wildcat frames, go to the frames page.
Paint colors and prices: The 175 Sport almost always had their tanks painted in red with a black boomerang-like design on the sides. There was also a metallic blue/silver version. The 250GS bikes had the standard sliver & black paint job. There is unconfirmed reports that other colors were used for the 250GS, but no real information to back it up. Prices for a 250GS were at $699 in 1961.
Today's 250GS/175 Sport out look: [1]
The 175 Sport was never imported by Cosmo. This is a bike mostly found in Europe and several other countries. These bikes show up on various auction/for sale websites at least once or twice a year. The 250cc GS bikes were a USA-only model. A reported 52 were imported to the USA, but the serial numbers of surviving bikes only go into the high 30's. Things get tricky when trying to sort out a real 250GS from a Tourist/Trailmaster clone. All an owner has to do to get the GS look is change out the gas tank, add rear-sets & clip-ons, and replace the seat. There was no changes made in the frame between the GS and the touring bikes. The only way to be certain of a 250GS is the serial number or a solid owner history.
The modified Wildcat framed GS is even more rare, since it was being developed as the factory was shutting down. Only one of these bikes has been located so far.
N.B. 1. Today refers to c.2007.
